Retirement Livery - What Do You Get?

[cowgirl16]

I'm looking for grass retirement livery for my gelding. Don't need anything fancy - use of a stable or barn for tying up for feeding/grooming/vet/trimmer, would be useful. I went to see a potential yard yesterday - private home, (smallholding), very nice couple. What they were offering was a paddock for your horse, a stable and storage. Each owner was expected to poo pick their paddock, visit horse daily, feed/groom and care for their horse/ attend for vet/farrier etc. Hay can be purchased from the YO, and given by the owner. Now surely this is DIY grass livery? They had responded to an ad I had placed asking for retirement livery. So what exactly can I expect to get for retirement livery? I had rather hoped it would entail full care (even at grass), with the option for the owner to visit as and when they wish? Don't get me wrong - this place ticks a few boxes - but both my horse and me are physically knackered now, so I was hoping I'd get a bit more in the way of manual help. What do you get for your retirement livery?

 

[MurphysMinder]

What they are offering sounds like DIY livery to me. I considered offering retirement livery at one point as I have the space, but my interpretation would be offering the services you mention and I decided I didn't really want to commit to that as I already have 2 of my own.

 

[Sossigpoker]

That does sound like DIY.
A friend of mine does field livery where the horses are either youngsters or retired. They live out in groups and she does all the work: checks them at least twice daily, feeding, rugs , hay , medications, poo picking etc. The only thing is that she doesn't want them to be brought in by owhers other than for vet , farrier or if they all come in for bad weather. So it's not to be used as cheap livery for ridden horses - they're meant to be out in groups at all times (apart from reasons listed above).
This is what I'd expect from a retirement livery.
Most of her owners live in other parts of the country or even abroad though.

 

[Birker2020]

Mines off to retirement livery 1st April.

He will be in a mixed herd of around 20, with access to hard standing with cattle hay feeders in cold weather and mud control mats from there to the fields, acres and acres of them. Rugging winter only, with rug changes dependant on the weather.

The y.o will feed your horse twice a day if you supply the feed, they are led indoors into stables for this. She will hold for vet/farrier, etc.

Hay is priced per round bale divided by number of horses.

She will do full day care for your horse if it needs to be stabled.

Of course these are all chargeable extras but its good to know they are there for when needed.

I intend to visit a couple of times a week which might reduce to once a week when i get another horse. We can bring them indoors for grooming, etc and spend time with them away from the herd.

 

[Merrymoles]

I'd look at the comparative price of what they are offering compared with "serviced" retirement livery. If you like the look of the place and the sums stack up you might then be able to employ someone to do the daily tasks for your gelding, either full time or as many times a week as you like.

 

[SantaVera]

My friends horse at retirement livery is out 24/7 but there is a stable if needed. Horse gets hay and straw for the stable. Horse is checked at least twice daily, bucket feed given if needed.rugged as necessary,held for vet and farrier physio etc. Owner can visit and take horse a walk or groom it etc whenever they want to or never visit if they prefer.

 

[SantaVera]

This is £45 a week bucket feed vet farrier dentist etc extra

 

[conkers]

My horse is on retirement livery. He shares a large field with 5 other horses - so 6 in total. He has access to a barn which is bedded down with straw and he has access to as much haylage as he wants.
The owners check on him each day and organise things such as trimming, injections etc. He doesn't get a bucket feed as he doesn't need it, but he could have one if he wanted. He is very happy there.

 

[exracehorse]

Ok .. my friend does grass retirement livery. But .. they all stay out in field. No horses are allowed to be brought in or out by owner. As upsets others. You can visit. It’s 60 quid a week. Hay included. I do full retirement livery for Beau. He’s basically on full livery. As he likes to come in at night. He’s treated like my own horses. If you want to still bring in. Groom etc. then it’s really DIY. Or perhaps Assisted Livery if you only want to come and go when you have the time etc.

 

[ycbm]

I've recently been looking at this and it's a long as a piece of string. Some are just a standard livery (DIY assisted or full) but with the horse never ridden or even worked with in hand. Some are 24/7 grass with no visiting. Some are group barn kept over winter. And there's every permutation in between.
.

 

[Abacus]

The difference may be that they don't have facilities to work a horse, such as an arena, and perhaps the hacking isn't good, so the only kind of livery they can offer is 'retirement' where horses just stay in their fields or stables. If I were looking for retirement livery, like you, I would want the horse checked and fed and generally cared for, and I would visit. There may be a market for DIY retirement livery of course, but it probably isn't you.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I can see why they contacted you unless you specifically stated full retirement livery as it sounds like they can help provide a nice retirement to a horse if the owner is still wanting to do the jobs.

It sounds like you may be wanting more help though so you'd either need a freelance groom or advertise for and view full retirement livery.

 

[Kaylum]

Our retired ones get walked everyday, brought in checked over rugs removed and replaced. They need their feet checking and a general health check. They also enjoy laying down in the barn usually flat out on their sides. The fields are poo picked and kept clean. Some don't do well in a field all the time you might need a barn as well or at least a bedded down large field shelter. It take as much work as assisted livery but without individual stables to muck out.

 

[Birker2020]

Ok .. my friend does grass retirement livery. But .. they all stay out in field. No horses are allowed to be brought in or out by owner. As upsets others. You can visit.

How on earth does it upset others? Its more dangerous to feed and groom a horse in a field of others surely with them all milling round getting jealous?

 

[AmyMay]

How on earth does it upset others? Its more dangerous to feed and groom a horse in a field of others surely with them all milling round getting jealous?

Presumably any that need additional feeding are fed at the appropriate time individually by the YO. Once roughed off you don’t groom.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

Mine was at a lovely retirement/grass livery for 18 months until we moved. There were 5 other geldings in the field with him - there were two geldings fields which were rotated every three months. The yard owner checked twice a day, changed rugs if needed, gave feeds if they had them and hayed the fields when grass was sparse. Farrier (barefoot trims), dentist, worm count and worming all included. About half the owners never visited, a couple came every day and I visited 3-4 times a week. There were no restrictions on visiting and you could take your horse out for a hack (ridden or in hand), do groundwork in the resting field etc. No stables or arena. Cost for everything was £160 a month in Surrey.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Ok .. my friend does grass retirement livery. But .. they all stay out in field. No horses are allowed to be brought in or out by owner. As upsets others.

Good grief, and people pay not to be permitted to catch their own horse in when they visit ? Not on your nelly would I put any horse of mine somewhere like that.

Retirement livery is sometimes offered by control freaks who want the income but not the inconvenience of dealing with the owners. Or the oversight of knowledgeable owners...

Even retired horses often love to be brushed off. There's no rule that states that retired horse = no more grooming.

 

[Abacus]

Good grief, and people pay not to be permitted to catch their own horse in when they visit ? Not on your nelly would I put any horse of mine somewhere like that.

Retirement livery is sometimes offered by control freaks who want the income but not the inconvenience of dealing with the owners. Or the oversight of knowledgeable owners...

Even retired horses often love to be brushed off. There's no rule that states that retired horse = no more grooming.

I see your point. I would imagine that the concept is that they are creating a herd setup with older horses living peacefully in a group, and if owners come and go frequently taking in one horse at a time, the others might be disturbed by this. I’m not sure it works in practice: some may need bringing in to feed or have trims or treatment of some kind. And some owners might want more involvement. I don’t think it’s necessarily just control freaks that don’t want people around; it might be that they do believe the horses are happier living this way.

 

[Fieldlife]

I see your point. I would imagine that the concept is that they are creating a herd setup with older horses living peacefully in a group, and if owners come and go frequently taking in one horse at a time, the others might be disturbed by this. I’m not sure it works in practice: some may need bringing in to feed or have trims or treatment of some kind. And some owners might want more involvement. I don’t think it’s necessarily just control freaks that don’t want people around; it might be that they do believe the horses are happier living this way.

So if a horse colics / needs to go to vet / needs extra care are all the others going to be upset? Most established herds are fine if you take 1-2 out it’s taking the majority out that is an issue.

 

[eahotson]

My old boy, in his twenties now,is in a very good retirement livery.In a herd of about 20 other elderly geldings, out 24/7 on lovely big fields.We pay extra for the hay/haylage in the winter.They are checked over every day and there are facilities to bring them up if it is felt necessary.He and I are very happy.
I can go in the field with him if I wish but am not allowed to bring him out.I don't regard this as control freakery.
It is a safety measure but also to keep the integrity of the herd.The idea is that they can become horses again and the herd to have as little disruption as possible.The farrier trims the feet in the field.
The horses are entering a different phase of their lives.

 

[ycbm]

People are entitled to offer the service they want to offer at a price they think is fair. I can completely understand why a retirement livery doesn't want people visiting and moving horses all the time. If you want that level of contact, you can leave the horse in "ridden" livery and just not ride.
.

 

[AmyMay]

People are entitled to offer the service they want to offer at a price they think is fair. I can completely understand why a retirement livery doesn't want people visiting and moving horses all the time. If you want that level of contact, you can leave the horse in "ridden" livery and just not ride.
.

I agree.

 

[Birker2020]

People are entitled to offer the service they want to offer at a price they think is fair. I can completely understand why a retirement livery doesn't want people visiting and moving horses all the time. If you want that level of contact, you can leave the horse in "ridden" livery and just not ride.
.

Where i am going the horses are let in the barn one at a time and led to a stable and given their feeds. This is done twice a day in the winter. It would be ridiculous to feed horses in the field.

When Ludo goes to retirement livery you are telling me you don't want to have some one to one time with him anymore?

And how is me bringing my horse in to fuss and groom any different to him being bought in twice a day by the y.o for feed?

 

[Birker2020]

Edited to say I don't want ridden livery but not ride. I could do that myself and keep him where he is! I want him out in a herd but with the option to bring in and groom which is what I've got. If i didn't want this he'd have gone to the bloodbank.

Retirement livery in a herd is no different from bringing in one horse to ride from a livery yard herd environment. They come in, then they rejoin the herd. They're still at liberty for 23.5 hrs a day!

 

[Tiddlypom]

Well, if people want to put horses somewhere that forbids them to catch their own horses up when they visit and bring them in for a groom or some one to one time then more fool them.

 

[Birker2020]

I agree.

I could leave him where he is but he's not having a lot of fun on his own and I'm not having fun, i want to ride. It kills me seeing people riding when I am aching to ride myself and not able to. I love him to bits but I just can't carry on in the situation I'm currently in. I want another horse and for me its cheaper for Lari on retirement livery as I won't have the overheads involved in feeding/bedding, etc and it works better for him as he has 20 horsey friends to enjoy.

 

[Birker2020]

Once roughed off you don’t groom.

You do when they have rugs on!

 

[paddy555]

Where i am going the horses are let in the barn one at a time and led to a stable and given their feeds. This is done twice a day in the winter. It would be ridiculous to feed horses in the field.

When Ludo goes to retirement livery you are telling me you don't want to have some one to one time with him anymore?

And how is me bringing my horse in to fuss and groom any different to him being bought in twice a day by the y.o for feed?

that must be very time consuming for the retirement YO with 20 horses in a field twice a day.

 

[Xmasha]

A friend of mine does a bit retirement livery. i say bit, as she only takes 1 or 2 and they go out with her own. Small yard at her home, they have access to grass and a field shelter. They get checked, given hay/ feed as appropriate . She sorts farrier / vets visits ect. Owners welcome to turn up when they want as long as its not everyday. She doesnt charge enough for what she does, but it suits her to have some companions for her own horses.
But ive seen others offer very different regimes . I guess its about finding the one thats suits you and your horse

 

[Rowreach]

Horses are generally a lot easier to deal with than people.